Hospital victory for Louth and Monaghan
A special meeting of the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) on
Monday last voted to mandate its CEO to seek the appointment of
consultant obstetricians and paediatricians to ensure that the
maternity units in Dundalk and Monaghan Hospitals will not be
closed.
Over 3,000 people had demonstarted in Dundalk on Saturday to
potest the threatened loss of these vital services. ``It was a
great victory for the people'', says Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan,
who chaired the rally.
42,000 signatures to a petition to save the maternity service had
been gathered. There were powerful speeches at the meeting from
the Hospital Group members, including independent councillors
Martin Bell and Dr Mary Grehan, and from Una McKevitt, a mother
of three who made an impassioned plea to the government not to
let women down.
``The whole controversy over the Dundalk and Monaghan hospitals
raises the central question of the apartheid system of health in
this country, where those who can pay get quicker and better
treatment than those who can't,'' says Morgan. ``It is time this
system was made accountable to their patients and those who are
sick and who cannot get treatment.
``The minister has told us that money is no object in this matter.
We are happy to believe him and hope that now the threat to the
services in Monaghan and Louth is lifted.''
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